


tender

by fiveyaaas



Series: when autumn comes [35]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Absolutely., Angst, Did I do it to cleanse myself of sins?, Did I end up making a super angsty fic?, Did I write a t-rated fic to finish my kinktober series?, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Mr. Pennycrumb is the star of this fic, OLD FIVEYA OLD FIVEYA OLD FIVEYA, Yes., if you read 100k of smut then maybe you should be reading wholesome angst, sadly.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27498151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveyaaas/pseuds/fiveyaaas
Summary: They’ve tucked their granchildren into bed by the time they’re back in their own room, frowning at the six massive dogs staring up at them expectantly. When the grandkids come over, usually they all station themselves protectively outside the guest room doors, but their dogs have been acting more protective of Vanya lately and not wanting to leave her. He knew why, often dwelling on it when she struggled with walking longer distances or, even worse, when she’d admit she was in pain, something she only did when it got truly awful for her.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Series: when autumn comes [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941919
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52
Collections: Harcest Fall Festival: Fiveya Kinktober 2020





	tender

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunchime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunchime/gifts), [pacoca](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pacoca/gifts), [rappaccini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rappaccini/gifts), [ellaphunt19](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellaphunt19/gifts).



> Gifting this to the people I think would most appreciate old fiveya. Sorry it’s sad😔

They’ve tucked their granchildren into bed by the time they’re back in their own room, frowning at the six massive dogs staring up at them expectantly. When the grandkids come over, usually they all station themselves protectively outside the guest room doors, but their dogs have been acting more protective of Vanya lately and not wanting to leave her. He knew why, often dwelling on it when she struggled with walking longer distances or, even worse, when she’d admit she was in pain, something she only did when it got truly awful for her. 

“They can sleep here tonight if they want,” Vanya told him, and he obeyed much easier than the pups would have. The youngest of them, truly still a puppy, wagged its tail and licked her face excitedly when she settled down beside him. He was still enormous, considering he was the child of their St. Bernard and mastiff, so Five weakly commanded him to not be too rough with her. He climbed into bed beside them, wondering if their daughter would be late to pick up the grandkids tomorrow like she tended to be most times, always proclaiming time wasn’t real anyways (she said that frequently when she was sixteen and got home past curfew too.) 

“Do you need anything?” Five asked, petting Mr. Pennycrumb, their mastiff. 

She shook her head, sounding exhausted as she mumbled, “No, I’m okay. Thank you.”

He nodded, gently tugging her so that they were somewhat closer together. The dogs were notorious bedhogs, having only been banished from their bed when Five had broken his leg after one of them pushed him off it once. 

“They’re all getting so old,” she yawned. “I hope I’ll be around to dance at their weddings.”

“You will be,” Five promised her, squeezing her hand. Forty years into marriage, they were still best friends, still confided in one another like they’d had as children. He wondered what he would have thought if somebody had told him when he’d been wasting away in the apocalypse that he would get to spend all this time with her, would get to truly _experience_ happiness. 

There was a time when he’d despised landing in a thirteen year old body, having to wait to be with her for a few years, but he’d gotten to be with her so much longer as a trade off. It would cause unimaginable pain when she passed, and he tried to just remind himself that he’d be there for the rest of his family, at the very least. Allison, living a few hours away with her litter of children and grandchildren, regaling them all in stories of her and Luther every year they would have celebrated their anniversary. Ben, Klaus, and Diego, practically owning a shelter with how many stray cats they took into their home. He didn’t know how much longer they’d be around, but he was hopeful that they’d all have a few more years. Vanya had already made Allison promise that she’d make sure he took care of himself when she was gone, which he’d overheard by accident when they’d finished up with their weekly book club.

Five had nearly flinched, hearing her say it so casually. 

“Maybe I’ll even be around to be a great grandmother.” The hope in her voice was something he heard much less of recently, and it prompted him to lean and kiss her gently. 

“Statistically speaking, one of them will be irresponsible,” Five joked. “You could have several great grandchildren before it’s all over.”

“You’ll make sure they’re taken care of, right?” Her voice was small, and he squeezed her hand again.

“Of course. I would never let any of them be hurt, V.”

She started crying, and he closed his eyes just a second before pulling her into his arms. The dogs were all frantically sniffing her, trying to find the source of what made her upset. “I’m sorry I’m going to leave you behind,” she mumbled. “I wish I hadn’t-“

Before she could even finish that statement, he told her, “If it hadn’t been for you, I’d have never even come home in the first place because I’d have lost all hope much sooner. The decades we’ve had together have been the best of my entire life, and I’ve cherished every single second of them.”

“Will you be okay?” Vanya croaked. “Without me here?”

He’d managed his first life without her. “I’ll just focus all the sorrow I feel into making sure our family stays okay.” It sounded weak to his own ears.

“If you found somebody else-“

“No,” he snapped, horrified at what she was thinking about and sounding pissed because of it. “I’m not looking to ever replace you.”

He’d tried, once, when he’d thought he’d never see another human being again. There was a reason her name had meant “sorrow.” 

“I just don’t want you to be completely alone again.”

“I wouldn’t be,” he told her. “I have our family.” 

They were silent for a while after that. When she spoke again, she’d stopped crying completely, and she sounded contented. “I’m happy for all the time we’ve had together too, you know.” 

He smiled, kissing the crown of her head.

“I think about all the wonderful memories we’ve shared. You’ve given me a lifetime of happiness, and I once thought I’d have never had that. Sure, there were moments where we struggled, but I’ve never once doubted that you’re my best friend.”

She was starting to get tired again, and he murmured that she should go to sleep, that their daughter was supposed to be there early tomorrow morning. 

When she fell asleep, he couldn’t find himself to feel sorrow, not yet. They’d shared the rest of their lives together- happy, ordinary lives. Once Vanya had shied from the word ‘ordinary,’ but Five cherished it. Having something _normal_ after all of the chaos they’d experienced was the happiest part of it all. She was the final chapter of his lifetime of misery, brought on by being ‘extraordinary.’ Vanya was the calm before the storm, the storm itself, and the calm that came after. She was everything to him- and how could he be upset, when he had everything? 

**Author's Note:**

> If you have managed to read this far into the series, congratulations!!!! It is now officially over with this fic!!! I have been working on kinktober for quite a while, and I’m honestly relieved for it to be done. This has been such a fun series of fics to write, and I will be extending a few to have one more chapter! Thank you all so much for reading! I appreciate all of the love y’all have given!!!


End file.
